World’s biggest private Harry Potter collection on display

By: 10 years ago

A Harry Potter fan visits an exhibition of the Guinness World Record holding collection of Harry Potter memorabilia, at the Mexican Museum of Antique Toys, in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. Mexico’s fan Menahem Asher Silva Vargas assembled the collection, which contains thousand objects, including figurines, wands, magazines, puzzles, and accessories. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

MEXICO CITY — A young Mexican’s fascination with Harry Potter has grown into the world’s biggest private collection of toys, books, clothes and other items related to author J.K. Rowling’s fantasy hero. Now, other fans have a chance to see it all.

The collection belonging to real estate lawyer Menahem Asher Silva Vargas has been certified by Guinness Awards as the largest anywhere. And it is on display at the Mexican Museum of Antique Toys in Mexico City.

Silva Vargas started collecting Harry Potter items 15 years ago, when he was 12. He started with toys, then branched out to all sorts of things, from scarves to soda cans from Japan and Chinese language editions of Rowling’s books.

He has 3,097 items in all. The exhibit formally opens Saturday.

Mexican’s ‘Harry Potter’ collection is world’s biggest